Poetry

Randy Blasing's ninth book of poems, set now in memory in his native Minnesota and now in New England, New Mexico, or Turkey, centers on his drama of dying four times in open-heart surgery and emerging from his near-death experience a different person, with renewed faith in the sanctity of every day.

"A Change of Heart, with its nod to Auden, is a mature collection celebratory of life. The speaker who cheats death is that much more aware of the living, breathing world around him. Heightened meditations are rendered in tender, explosive sonnets and exact blank verse. Here is the heart as muscle and life force, as vehicle for romance, as the beating meter of each of these glorious poems." --Denise Duhamel

"James Wright famously aspired to write poetry that privileged, above all, 'the pure, clear word.'

Randy Blasing seeks the same demanding goal in this fluent and moving collection of sonnets and near-sonnets, poems limpid, graceful, and fearless in their reckonings with mortality, in which craft and longing are alchemized into something like wonder." --David Wojahn

Randy Blasing's ninth book of poems, set now in memory in his native Minnesota and now in New England, New Mexico, or Turkey, centers on his drama of dying four times in open-heart surgery and emerging from his near-death experience a different person, with renewed faith in the sanctity of every day.

Poetry. Literary Nonfiction. "My desire is to erase boundaries, ' says Wellman, and in many ways, this book is an exploration of how language can aid that project. Based in consideration of translation, Wellman's musings pass through the lens of critical theory and continental philosophy, a lens that gathers diverse approaches and focuses them into a single, illuminating beam. At once erudite and intimate, autobiographical and analytical, Wellman effectively erases the distinction between text and translation, between writer and translator-and with a particularly graceful momentum that comes through in both his prose and his poetry." --Cole Swensen

Donald Wellman's new book of prose travels far: Antonio Gamoneda's poetry, "Earth Ergon" on the work of Derrida, his thoughts on translating Paul Celan, his musings on the art of translation, the work of French Poet Anne-Marie Albiach. This volume includes a new version of her poem: "apres cela, moi j'ai regarde" translated by Wellman and Julian Kabza. Also included, a new work by Jean Daive, the author of Under the Dome (Burning Deck Press). Daive's reminiscence titled - "Urgence et negation en reponse Anne-Marie Albiach et Paul Celan" is, in part, an extension of his earlier work on Celan.

Spare, simple poems tell a boy's moving story in this short novel about baseball, family, and the American dream.
It's 1936, and the Yankees have just hired a star center fielder whose name sounds like music. What could be a better time for Papa-Angelo's grandson to be born? Christened after the legendary ballplayer, young Joseph Paul learns much at his Italian grandfather's knee - about holding your breath in front of the radio during a 3-2 count with the bases loaded and having the audacity to dream big dreams. After all, the boy's ne'er-do-well father is out of the picture, and it is Papa-Angelo's job to teach his grandson what it means to be a hero.
In a poignant novel told in verse, Maria Testa paints a picture of a timeless bond between a grandson and his immigrant grandfather - and of finding his own place in a brave new world.

A collection of 130 poems contributed by Frost Place residents, many of whom have risen to prominence. Some contributors' poems were written during their tenures on the farm. Such poets as Robert Hass, Gary Miranda, Mary Jo Salter, Cleopatra Mathis, Denis Johnson and Stanley Plumly explore the depth and breadth of their time spent in Frost's New Hampshire. Eminent poet Donald Hall wrote the foreword and includes a cache of Frost's poems from Mountain Interval.

'I think I shall be among the English Poets after my death, ' John Keats soberly prophesied in 1818 as he started writing the blankverse epic Hyperion. Today he endures as the archetypal Romantic genius who explored the limits of the imagination and celebrated the pleasures of the senses but suffered a tragic early death. Edmund Wilson counted him as 'one of the half dozen greatest English writers, ' and T. S. Eliot has paid tribute to the Shakespearean quality of Keats's greatness. Indeed, his work has survived better than that of any of his contemporaries the devaluation of Romantic poetry that began early in this century. This Modern Library edition contains all of Keats's magnificent verse: 'Lamia, ' 'Isabella, ' and 'The Eve of St. Agnes'; his sonnets and odes; the allegorical romance Endymion; and the five-act poetic tragedy Otho the Great. Presented as well are the famous posthumous and fugitive poems, including the fragmentary 'The Eve of Saint Mark' and the great 'La Belle Dame sans Merci, ' perhaps the most distinguished literary ballad in the language. 'No one else in English poetry, save Shakespeare, has in expression quite the fascinating felicity of Keats, his perception of loveliness, ' said Matthew Arnold. 'In the faculty of naturalistic interpretation, in what we call natural magic, he ranks with Shakespeare.'

No one can jump as high as the very boastful kangaroo. But the littlest kangaroo challenges him to a jumping contest anyway. Even the very boastful kangaroo has to laugh when the very little and very clever kangaroo outsmarts him and wins the competition. Bernard Most's resourceful kangaroo hilariously illustrates one of life's basic lessons--that any problem can be overcome if only you put your mind to it.

Benedict J. Groeschel, CFR John Henry Cardinal Newman's renowned poem describes the death of an old man and the journey of his soul to the judgment seat of God. First published in 1865, it quickly became a bestseller in its field. Also included are a section on Elgar's Dream of Gerontius, which rapidly became the most popular choral work in Britain after Handel's Messiah, and a discography of currently available recordings of Elgar's Dream.

Jason E. "Jay" Walker was raised in Cranston, a suburb at the southern border of Providence, RI. He's never been interested in anything but the arts and humanities - entertaining, educating, inspiring, moving, and connecting (with) people - and everything he's done with his life is to pursue his lifelong dream of success in those fields. He was first alternate for the Providence Poetry Slam(TM) team in 1999 and has performed in and/or hosted poetry events throughout the RI area. He's also an established actor in RI independent film and semi-professional theater. He currently lives in Hopedale, MA, but he plans to one day live in warmer climes and travel the world.

The left shoe angrily kicked the right shoes heel;
it wanted to step into its space ideal
instead of being forced to move sideways
and switch its preplanned straight path into a maze.

In the narrative poem The Joys of Learning on Graduation Day, two shoes have stage rage. Like these shoes, we may occasionally want only a single straight path. Most times, though, the mazes of our lives completely amaze us. Especially on a holiday or a celebration, we love having the freedom to choose our way amid diverse pathways.

Holidays Amaze has different kinds of poetry: maze poems, prayer poems, shaped poems, sonnets, and narratives. The varied poems are enhanced by Christian content, historic elements, dream/reality sections, and amazing interactions among family members, friends, and animals. In Holidays Amaze, success often happens, such as with resolutions on New Years Day, an unblocked writers block, a reduction of anxiety, and a decrease in impatience while waiting in line.

Multimodal elements add to the amazing content of Holidays Amaze. Images are visible in the mazes, photos, metaphors, formats, shapes, and icons. Aural components can be heard in the rhythms, rhymes, alliteration, and other sound elements.

Six-year-old Annie's world is shattered when she is forced to carry a horrible secret: Under the pretense of reading to her, an older boy molests her, threatening her if she ever tells. Only when her mother pries out the secret is Annie released from her horror and isolation. Slowly she begins to heal, and before the summer is over, she even learns to swim.

Mattie J. T. Stepanek has won the hearts of millions with his inspiring poems from his first two New York Times bestsellers. Now he's ready to spread a little love with Loving Through Heartsongs, a beautiful collection of poems written about innocence and trusting love from a child's perspective. Mattie's struggle with muscular dystrophy has never kept him from feeling deep love for his family, friends, country, and faith--heartfelt emotions that are reflected throughout these pages.

In this collection of poetry crafted by writer, author and poet Ana Arelys Cruz Cabrera, the reader will first be struck by her profound sense of place. In fact, throughout this work, it is often impossible to distinguish the profound love of her native Dominican Republic from the love of her adopted country, the United States. Perhaps it is a needless undertaking to even attempt to define this distinction. In a tangible sense, her work reflects the raw patriotism she demonstrates in her daily life - a life faithful to active community involvement, volunteerism and leadership in every community she serves. Throughout this work, the heart and soul of Ana Arelys's voice and ear shine through plainly, planted firmly in the traditional and shared American and Dominican values of family, legacy and spirit. These themes weave all through this work, binding it together, offering the reader a richness of message that only her unique voice could intend. Ana Arelys selects each word with great care, much like a composer might choose each note of a sonata, and whether consumed in silence or spoken aloud in either English or Spanish, her poems speak to a spectrum of human conditions. Friendship, justice, love, sorrow and even death, appear and perform as lively supporting actors on a stage, built from more universal messages. It has been said that the aim of poetry is to teach and delight. If so, then in Melodies of the Heart, we propose that Ana Arelys has achieved both.

Presents the story of Odysseus' return from the Trojan War to his homeland in a modern English translation.

On the Mend is a book about Living, Loving, Laughing, And all that comes in between. It's about Disappointment, Heartache, Heartbreak, Sadness, Loneliness, Accepting Learning, Growing, Strengthening, And moving forward. We all have our own version of the in-betweens, but our foundations are all the same. Some stories are longer, others are shorter. Some are more colorful, others are black and white. Some are filled with more living, living, and laughing, others more of the in-between. Know your story can change, turn the page, end the chapter, or begin a completely new book, but only after you take the time to learn what you want and need in this new journey filled with living, loving, and laughing.

"If there is any justice in the world of books, [Esolen's] will be the standard Dante . . . for some time to come."-Robert Royal, Crisis

In this, the concluding volume of The Divine Comedy, Dante ascends from the devastation of the Inferno and the trials of Purgatory. Led by his beloved Beatrice, he enters Paradise, to profess his faith, hope, and love before the Heavenly court. Completed shortly before his death, Paradise is the volume that perhaps best expresses Dante's spiritual philosophy about resurrection, redemption, and the nature of divinity. It also affords modern-day readers a clear window into late medieval perceptions about faith. A bilingual text, classic illustrations by Gustave Doré, an appendix that reproduces Dante's key sources, and other features make this the definitive edition of Dante's ultimate masterwork.

In this second edition of Poetic Ramblings, Ms. Griffin shows us the brighter, more positive side of her bipolar magnification. She leads you down path after path of exploration in search of love and acceptance.

Poetic Ramblings of a Hopeful Heart allows us to be part of the poet's adventure with an often naive, optimistic perception. She floods your senses with hope and faith as she shares her laughter and tears with you.

The poet continues to bare her soul, her pain, and her triumphs in order to enlighten others to not feel so alone. She holds you close as she reveals her personal sanguine journey through the labyrinth called love.

Take a moment to investigate what will surely be an exciting odyssey of emotions.